Let me make this clear.
I’m talking about metropolitan Birmingham—not just the city of Birmingham. Yes, all seven counties including Shelby County.
Things are looking up—but not when we are measured against other regions. Continue reading 3 very bad numbers for greater Birmingham
What’s going on in America?
Everyone seems to be divided.
Republican/ Democrat
White/Black
Conservative/Liberal
Rich/Poor
No one seems to want to cooperate to achieve common goals. Continue reading Pinch me! Is this really Birmingham?
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a more prosperous Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is Hoover City Councilor John Lyda. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
Editor’s note: This piece was originally published on October 23rd. Three days later the proposal to move UAB Medical West to Hoover fell through and the hospital administration decided to build in McCalla on property it previously purchased.
The conversation of regional cooperation has been commonplace in the Birmingham metro area for decades, its roots traced back to the beginning of the urban sprawl that flourished in the 50’s, 60’s, and continuously since then.
Regrettably, the phrase “regional cooperation” has most often been rhetoric used in political campaigns, master planning processes, and feel good speeches. Continue reading Hoover can be a bold leader or greedy neighbor
My wife and I are a Costco family
We shop Costco every week, eat free snacks, and look forward to chance meetings with friends—many we haven’t seen in years. Continue reading Oh no! Homewood, Vestavia, & now Hoover
I apologize for using the word ‘screw’ in the title, but I can’t find a more appropriate term.
Why is there so little job growth in Birmingham? Well, look no further than what appears to be happening in Hoover.
How do you feel about tax increases?
How about tax increases to stab your neighbors in the back? Continue reading We increase our taxes to screw each other
It was the dark of night.
My Mountain Brook friend slipped down the stairs to his basement, opened his garage door, and quietly pushed his trash container to the street. Continue reading Mountain Brook stealing from Vestavia Hills
You’ve probably had the misfortune of noticing a few ants crawling around in your kitchen cabinet.
This is almost always a tell-tale sign that there are a lot more ants nearby.
That’s what we’re beginning to see with Hoover.
Continue reading Why we should worry about what’s happening to Hoover
Rarely do you have an opportunity to read an article that clearly shows why we’ve had virtually no job growth in our metropolitan area.
Erin Edgemon of al.com recently wrote a piece about how a Jefferson County municipality took a big gamble and lost.
Continue reading Mtn. Brook, Homewood, Vestavia wannabe gambles & loses
I’m almost shell shocked.
I was flipping through the pages of the Over the Mountain Journal, when I saw the headline, “Hitting on all cylinders—Mountain Brook Mayor Welch Lays Out His Plans for 2018.”
The mayor of Mountain Brook, as you might expect, discussed his efforts to help Mountain Brook merchants and restaurants.
But then Mayor Welch, a longtime financial executive, went off in a completely and unexpected direction. Continue reading Mountain Brook, Hoover, Homewood, Vestavia Hills show leadership
Would the University of Alabama have national championship football teams if 80% of its students were ineligible?
UA would have some good players, but we wouldn’t be winning many football games.
This is the heart of Birmingham’s problem.
Continue reading Mountain Brook and Homewood suck leadership out of Birmingham